Take a Hike…To Rowena Plateau

Spectacular wildflowers, a healthy dose of Oregon’s dynamic geology, and a strong but straightforward climb to killer views – Rowena Plateau and Tom McCall Nature Preserve have it all. Just east of The Dalles, this easy outing is a spring-time paradise, perfect for families, nature lovers, and photographers. Take a nature guide and a camera with you. You?ll regret it if you don?t.

Rowena Plateau is a scabland formed during the ice age when glacial lake Missoula repeatedly broke through an ice dam and unleashed massive floods across Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. We owe the Gorge and most of Portland’s topography to these outbreaks: the now-submerged Bonneville rapids and the cliffs of the Gorge, and features such as Sullivan’s Gulch (where I-84 currently sits) and Alameda ridge in Portland. More recently, Rowena Plateau was used as a grazing range, but the flowers are recovering nicely, and the views are unbeatable.

Take the trail out on the plateau and stroll through flowering meadows towards the Gorge and two small ponds. These are a bird-watcher’s heaven, and the plateau looks exactly like a stereotypical “old west,” with wooden posts strung with wire, grassy rolling slopes of green and vibrant outbreaks of flowers bursting with color under a horizon of steep stratified cliffs and snowy peaks.

After you’ve had your fill, return to the parking lot and begin the climb to McCall Point. The trail follows an old road through acres of yellow balsamroot and purple lupine, then switchbacks through oak to superb views of Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and the Gorge. Keep to the trail to avoid damaging the fragile meadow and rare plants, and watch for turkey vultures circling the cliffs and for rattlesnakes in the talus. This is, after all, the dry side of the Cascades. Stop at the “top” (past this point is private property), have a snack, and think about your friends toiling at work while you’re enjoying the sun and scenery.

Early May is usually the best time to see the wildflower display. Take I-84 east to exit 69 at Mosier. Turn right on the Columbia River Highway, drive 6.5 miles and park at the loop at Rowena Crest. Rowena Plateau is a 2.4 mile round trip with negligible elevation gain. McCall Point is a three mile round trip, with an elevation gain of 1,100 feet. Managed by the Nature Conservancy, the area is closed to the public in the winter, and no pets are allowed on the preserve.

Article & Images By Jason Weeks, Borrowed Times

About the Author | Haley Baroody

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